AUGUST 13, 2001

Williams to get new chassis for Belgium

THE BMW Williams team will have a modified chassis for the final four races of the season, as it tries to wrest second place in the Constructors' World Championship from rival McLaren-Mercedes. The aim of the changes are to provide the team with an engine that is mounted slightly lower in the chassis and modified exhaust pipes which could provide another five extra horsepower. The car has been in the planning stages for most of the season and it remains to be seen whether or not it will be given a FW23B tag. The team is currently playing down the changes, saying that all the existing parts of the bodywork, suspension and other auxiliaries will remain unchanged.

The new car is planned to be debuted at the Belgian Grand Prix in September and the hope is that the new chassis will help to make the most of the power being produced by the remarkable BMW V10 engine.

The Williams chassis is already well-respected in F1 circles with recent rumors suggesting that Jaguar Racing has made a bid for the services of chief designer Gavin Fisher and chief aerodynamicist Geoff Willis, having failed to secure the services of Adrian Newey from McLaren. Jaguar Racing's Bobby Rahal denies the offer, saying that he is committed to the existing design team at Jaguar.